Device for needle change in talking machines



Dec. 22, 1942. M MARZETT| 2,305,808

DEVICE FOR NEEDLE CHANGE IN TALKING MACHINES Filed Sept. 5, 1939 a/mwn;41,4, m2;

Patented Dec. 22, 1942 DEVICE FOR NEEDLE CHANGE IN TALKING MACHINESManlio Marzetti, Milan, Italy; vested in the Alien Property CustodianApplication September 5, 1939, Serial No. 293,495 In Italy September 16,1938 2 Claims.

Devices are known for changing the scanning needle in pick-ups of tonearms of talking machines, including a support on which the pick-up maybe supported in a defined position for the needle change and an armmovable in said support which assists in guiding the waste needle in areceptacle and subsequently operates as an adjusting retainer for thefresh needle to be engaged in the pick-up to enable the operator tocorrectly position the fresh needle in the pick-up; the needles whichare subsequently inserted in the pick-up from its top and are then fasttherein by a set screw as usual, are caused to project through a uniformextent from the needle engaging means of the pick-up.

This invention has for its object a device of the above class whichremoves any possibility of injuring the needle point during themanipulations and actually cooperates to guide the waste needle in therespective receptacle.

An embodiment of the present invention is illustrated by way of exampleon the annexed drawing and Fig. 1 is a front view of the device,

Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view,

Fig. 4 illustrates separately a part of the device and Fig. 5illustrates separately another part of the device.

In the illustrated embodiment, a support frame 1 is fast on the baseboard 2 of a talking machine .case not shown; said frame I is providedat its top with abutments 3 on which the tone arm of the talking machineis caused to rest at I the time the needle change is to be carried out,

as shown in Fig. 2 where the end of the tone arm is shown in dottedlines at 4, 5 showing the needle located therein through its orifice 6while 1 denotes the set screw intended to secure the needle 5 in thetone arm 4.

A needle retainer arm 8 is mounted to oscillate by means of itsperforated lugs 8' on a transverse pivot pin 9 intermediate the legs ofthe support frame I. Said retainer arm 8 has at its top a needleretainer finger 8" having an orifice ID for the escape of the wasteneedle and on one side thereof it carries a manipulating wing ll whilstan upturned tooth 8 extends from its lower end.

A blade spring 12 is located in the support frame l adjacent theretainer arm 8, II and the intermediate portion of said blade spring I2is fast on the support frame l by means of a rivet 13 the lower end ofsaid spring l2 being free for cooperation with the tooth 8 of theretainer arm 8, I l to hold said arm 8, l l in its erected position asillustrated. The top of the spring l2 provides a lug [2 which extendsabove the finger 8" of the arm 8, H the said retainer arm 8 being heldwith its finger 8 in contact with the bottom face of the lug l2 by theaction developed by the blade spring l2 on the bottom tooth 8 of theretainer arm 8, H. The lug l2 has an orifice l4 through it which is shutby the finger 8" the orifice ii! of this finger not being in registerwith said orifice M of the blade spring lug l2 when said finger contactswith said lug as illustrated.

As shown on the drawing the finger 8" extends wholly on one side withrespect to a vertical plane lying through the axis of the pivot pin 9.Accordingly at the time the retainer arm 8, I I

is shifted off from its position of rest by manipulating the wing IIthereof, all the portions of the retainer arm 8, ll move down withrespect to the free end of a needle as 5 (Fig. 2) engaged in a tone arm4 resting on the support frame abutments 3. Consequently an unduemanipulation of the retainer arm 8, II in such circumstances cannotaffect the point of the needle.

For the change of a needle in the tone arm with which the abovedescribed device cooperates, the needle-carrying end of said tone arm 4is arranged to rest on the abutments 3 of the support frame I as shownin Fig. 2 and then the point of the needle 5 extends through the orificeIt of the lug l2 of the spring [2 and abuts on the finger 8" of theretainer arm 8, II the configuration of the parts and location of theorifice M being suitably selected for such a purpose having in mind theconfiguration of the cooperating tone arm.

Then the operator releases the set screw 1 engaging the needle 5 in thetone arm 4 and manipulates the wing H of the retainer arm 8, II todepress it as shown by the arrow in Fig. 2, the retainer arm 8, ll beingthus caused to move downwardly around its pivot pin 9 and the orifice IDof the finger 8" being carried in register with orifice I4 of the lug l2of the blade spring l2. The waste needle is thus able to fall down fromthe tone arm 4 and it is guided in its fall being caused to move throughthe aligned orifices Ill, M of the parts I2, 8".

Subsequently the operator releases the retainer arm 8, I l which isrestored by the spring l2 into its illustrated position. Then theoperator inserts a fresh needle through the orifice 6 of the tone arm 4said needle falling down by gravity until it engages the finger 8" ofthe retainer arm 8, H which thus adjusts its position and the extentsaid needle 5 extends down from the tone arm 4. The set screw 1 isfinally tightened to clamp the fresh needle in position in the tone arm4.

In the above device the possible wrong manipulations of the retainer armat the time a needle secure in the tone arm engages the finger 8" cannotaffect the needle point because any possible manipulation of theretainer arm 8, I I may only cause its finger 8" to move away from theneedle point.

What I claim as my inventionand desire to secure by United StatesLetters Patent is:

1. A device for rapid change of the scanning needle in a talking machineincluding a tone arm having a needle receiving seat, comprising asupport providing a rest for said tone arm, a stationary member on saidsupport, a part on said stationary member extending in front to thepoint of a scanning needle located in said seat of a tone arm resting onsaid support and having a guide aperture in register with said needlepoint, a pivotal member pivoted on said support, a retaining part onsaid pivotal member located under said guide aperture of said stationarymember extending part for cooperation with said needle to provide anabutment therefor said retaining part having a guide orifice offset fromits needle point abutting region and adapted to come in alignment withsaid guide aperture in the direction of the axis of said needle on saidpivotal member and retaining part being oscillated downwards from saidstationary member and apertured extending part thereof, means foryieldably holding said pivotal memher with said retaining part thereofin a needle point abutting position adjacent to said stationary memberapertured extending part to obstruct said aperture thereof andmanipulating means on said pivotal member for oscillating it downwardsto remove said retaining part thereof from said needle abutting positionand bring it with said guide orifice thereof in alignment with saidguide aperture of said stationary member extending part.

2. A device for rapid change of the scanning needle in a talking machineincluding a tone arm having a needle receiving seat, comprising asupport providing a rest for said tone arm, a stationary member on saidsupport, a part on said stationary member extending in front to thepoint of a scanning needle located in said seat of a tone arm resting onsaid support and having a guide aperture in register with said needlepoint, a pivotal member pivoted on said support, a retaining part onsaid pivotal member located under said guide aperture of said stationarymember extending part for cooperation with said needle to provide anabutment therefor said retaining part having a guide orifice offset fromits needle point abutting region and adapted to come in alignment withsaid guide aperture in the direction of the axis of said needle on saidpivotal member and retaining part being oscillated downwards from saidstationary member and apertured extending part thereof, means foryieldably holding said pivotal member with said retaining part thereofin a needle point abutting position adjacent to said stationary memberapertured extending part to obstruct said aperture thereof andmanipulating means on said pivotal member for oscillating it downwardsto remove said retaining part thereof from said needle abutting positionand bring it with said guide orifice thereof in alignment with saidguide aperture of said stationary member extending part, said pivotalmember having its pivotal axis located below said tone arm rest on saidsupport and all the portions of said pivotal member and retaining partwhich travel in front to the point of said needle during the motion ofsaid pivotal member and retaining part from and to said needle abuttingposition being within an arc of a circle having its center on saidpivotal member pivotal axis and passing through the point of saidneedle.

MANLIO MARZETTI.

